METHOD FOR CANDYING CHEWING-GUM SLABS

METHODE POUR ENROBER DES PLAQUES DE GOMMES A MACHER AVEC UN PRODUIT DE CONFISERIE

English Abstract

A B S T R A C T
The method comprises the steps of coating the two
larger sides of chewing-gum slabs with a film of granulated
sugar and submitting them to a spray of a hot fluid, passing
then said slats through a drying tunnel in which, besides
being dried, the slabs are cooled in view of grouping them
in a packing station to obtain packed units containing several
independent slabs which cannot stick together.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A method for candying chewing-gum slabs comprising the
steps of:
spraying the chewing-gum slabs with eatable hot fluid;
coating the heated slabs with granulated confection sugar;
drying and cooling the coated slabs at a single drying
tunnel; and
grouping the cooled coated slabs into packed units
wherein individual slabs of gum are in direct contact with one
another without sticking together.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the hot fluid
is selected from the group consisting of water steam and an
eatable solution of honey, molasses, syrup or gum-arabic.
3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said hot
fluid is an eatable gluing solution of honey, molasses, syrup
or gum-arabic and said coating step comprises mixing the slabs
coated with gluing solution in granulated confection sugar.
4. A method in accordance with claim 1 further including,
after said coating step and prior to said drying and cooling
step, the step of:
passing the coated slabs under a second spray of an
eatable hot fluid.

Description

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There presently exists two types of chewing pastes,
called "chewing-gum", i.e. the chewing-gum proper so to speak
and the chewing-gum with a base of dou~le-bubble enabling one
to make bubbles by breathing out a small quantity of air.
These two types of chewing-gum are sold in the form of
slabs of various volumes and weights, or in the form of sugar-
coated pills.
The sugar-coated pills are generally grouped in a common
package, while providing no gluing to each other, and the
sugar they are coated with can be aromatized.
However, the slabs require a separate package to avoid the
risk of becoming a mass in a common package if they have a
nice consistency of a chewing paste and not that of dried and
thin slabs which recover a consistency of a chewing paste
only when in contact with saliva, after some time of chewing
said slabs in the mouth.
This invention copes with said disadvantages by creating
a method for manufacturing chewing-gum having, at the end of
manufacturing it, the nice consistency required but wherein
several slabs can be grouped in the same package without any
risk of beccming agglutinated as a mass. This method thus
ensures an important saving of money regarding the packing
cost of the slabs and provides an output much higher than that
of the sugar-coated chewing-pill manufacturing methods.
According to this invention, the method comprises the
steps of covering the chewing-gum slabs on both sides thereof
with a coating of granulated sugar having a suitable
granulometry after having submitted them to a spray of a hot
fluid product, then passing said slabs through a drying tunnel
in which, besides being dried, the slabs are cooled in view
of grouping them in a packing station to obtain packed units
containing several independent slabs, which cannot stick together.
Various other features of the invention are moreover
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shown in the follo~ing detailed description.
An embodiment of this invention is shown by way of
example in the accompanying drawing, in which
The only figure is a plan view of a machine embodying
the method of the invention.
In the drawing is shown a conveyor 1 moving in the
direction of the arrow Fl and carrying chewing-gum slabs 2
which, due to the fact of the motion of the conveyor 1, passes
into a station 3 comprising nozzles 4 and 5 placed above
the conveyor, for spraying a hot fluid. The conveyor still
moving in the same direction (arrow Fl) arrives in front of a
ramp 6.
The slabs of hot gum then fall into a container 7 forming
a mixing station, and in which they are mixed in granulated
sugar 8 by means of mixing components 9. Then they are taken
by an elevator lOa onto an inclined area 10 made up of a thin
screen, the excess sugar on the slabs being thus recovered
and recycled. The slabs are then taken from the station 10
to be directed to a station 11. The station 11 comprises
nozzles 12, 13 spraying a hot fluid so as to fix the granulated
sugar on the surfaces of the chewing-gum slabs. This second
spraying causes a slight melting on the surface of the sugar
particles, which makes it easier for the sticking of the sugar
onto the slabs of chewing-gum as well as the gluing of the
particles of sugar. Lastly, due to the fact that in the
station 11 the chewing-gum slabs are placed on a conveyor 14
moving in the direction of the arrow F2, they pass under a
drying station 15 and then onto a conveyor 16 taking them
to a packing machine.
Since the slabs are coated with granulated sugar which is
perfectly dry they do not have any chance of sticking to each
other.
Though any kind of sugar can be used, it is also possible
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in this candying method to obtain an additional aromatization
of the chewing-gum by using a suitab]y aromatized sugar.
This method has been found to be very suitable since
when aromas are incorporated to the gum paste, they are slowly
and not completely developed, while when candying is aromatized,
the aromas are immediately and completely developed in the
mouth.
It has been pointed out in the above disclosure that the
chewing-gum slabs were mixed with sugar, said sugar being then
fixed by a spray of hot fluid such as water steam, but in some
cases it is possible to first coat the chewing-gum slabs with
an eatable gluing liquid applied to the slabs in the form of
a spray or of a hot aerosol, then to spray granulated sugar
onto said chewing-gum slabs. Then the slabs so coated are
dried and cooled.
As an eatable gluing liquid product, there can be used a
solution of honey, molasses, syrup, gum-arabic, etc...
This invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown
and described in detail, for various modifications thereof can
moreover be applied thereto without departing from the scope of
this invention as shown in the appended claims.
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